National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 4th May 2019

In News: In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court upheld provisions in the anti-pre-natal sex determination law which ‘criminalises’ non-maintenance of medical records by obstetricians and gynaecologists and suspend their medical licence indefinitely.

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The court held that the particular provisions in the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act of 1994 were necessary to prevent female foeticide in the country.

There are only 586 convictions out of 4202 cases registered even after 24 years of existence.

It reflects the challenges being faced in implementing this social legislation, the court observed. The main purpose of the Act is to ban the use of sex selection and misuse of pre-natal diagnostic technique for sex selective abortions and to regulate such techniques.

The court dismissed averments made by doctors that the provisions in the law criminalise even the smallest anomaly in paperwork which is in fact an inadvertent and unintentional error. The sections have made obstetricians and gynaecologists vulnerable to prosecution all over the country.

The Pre-conception & Pre-natal Diagnostics Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, 1994 was enacted in response to the decline in Sex ratio in India, which deteriorated from 972 in 1901 to 927 in 1991.

The main purpose of enacting the act is to ban the use of sex selection techniques before or after conception and prevent the misuse of prenatal diagnostic technique for sex selective abortion.

Offences under this act include conducting or helping in the conduct of prenatal diagnostic technique in the unregistered units, sex selection on a man or woman, conducting PND test for any purpose other than the one mentioned in the act, sale, distribution, supply, renting etc. of any ultra sound machine or any other equipment capable of detecting sex of the foetus.

Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PNDT), was amended in 2003 to The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition Of Sex Selection) Act (PCPNDT Act) to improve the regulation of the technology used in sex selection.

The Act was amended to bring the technique of pre conception sex selection and ultrasound technique within the ambit of the act.

The amendment also empowered the central supervisory board and state level supervisory board was constituted.

In 1988, the State of Maharashtra became the first in the country to ban pre-natal sex determination through enacting the Maharashtra Regulation of Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act

Source: The Hindu

ISRO Launch of RISAT-2BR1 Radar Imaging Satellite

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its latest radar imaging satellite (RISAT), the RISAT-2BR1, by the end May 2019.

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India will use one of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) reusable rockets, which have offered significant progress and sophistication of technology in terms of advancement in space technologies.

The RISAT, which was first deployed in orbit on April 20, 2009 as the RISAT-2, uses synthetic aperture radars (SAR) to provide Indian forces with all-weather surveillance and observation, which are crucial to notice any potential threat or malicious activity around the nation’s borders.

While RISAT-1 was expected to be released first, the incident of the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai meant that the deployment of the satellite needed to be hastened.

With the C-band SAR, being built by India, not being ready in time, India deployed the RISAT-2, which was based on the X-band SAR technology built by the Israel Aerospace Industries.

Source: The Hindu

The Generalized System of Preference (GSP)

Topic: Economy

In News: The U.S. should not terminate the GSP programme with India after the expiry of the 60-day notice period, a group of 25 influential American lawmakers urged the U.S. Trade Representative, warning that companies seeking to expand their exports to India could be hit.

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President Donald Trump announced that the S. intended to terminate India’s designations as a beneficiary developing country under the GSP programme. The 60-day notice period ends soon.

India exports nearly 50 products of the 94 products on which GSP benefits are stopped. The GSP removal will leave a reasonable impact on India as the country enjoyed preferential tariff on exports worth of nearly $ 5. 6 billion under the GSP route out of the total exports of $48 bn in 2017-18. In total India exports nearly 1,937 products to the US under GSP.

Removal of GSP indicate a tough trade position by the US; especially for countries like India who benefited much from the scheme. India is the 11th largest trade surplus country for the US and India enjoyed an annual trade surplus of $ 21 bn in 2017-18.

The Generalized System of Preference (GSP) is the largest and oldest U.S. trade preference programme designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries.

With this, India could lose a vital U.S. trade concession, under which it enjoys zero tariffs on $5.6 billion of exports to the United States.

The objective of GSP was to give development support to poor countries by promoting exports from them into the developed countries.

GSP promotes sustainable development in beneficiary countries by helping these countries to increase and diversify their trade with the United States.

GSP provide opportunities for many of the world’s poorest countries to use trade to grow their economies and climb out of poverty.

Source: The Hindu

Sino- Indian Bilateral border trade

Topic: International Relations

In News: The 14th edition of the annual Sino-Indian border trade recently opened at Nathu La. Every year bilateral border trade between two countries is organised four days a week for period of six months, between May 1 and November 30.

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The trade was resumed in 2006 after a gap of 44 years.

A total of 36 items, are on India’s export list comprising dairy products to utensils, while a total of 20 items, including carpets, quilts and jackets among others, are in the country’s import list from the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

The three open trading border posts between India and China are:

Nathu La in Sikkim.

Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh.

Lipulekh (or Lipulech) in Uttarakhand.

Source: The Hindu

Cyclone Fani

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: The newest cyclone to emerge out of the Bay of Bengal has been named Fani. Before that, there were cyclones Hudhud in 2014, Ockhi in 2017 and Titli and Gaja in 2018.

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Tropical cyclones are regarded as one of the most devastating natural calamities in the world.

They originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans.

These are ferocious storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas causing violent winds, very heavy rainfall, and storm outpourings.

The conditions which favour the formation and intensification of tropical cyclone storms are:

Large sea surface with a temperature higher than 27° C

Presence of the Coriolis force

Small differences in the vertical wind speed

A pre-existing weak- low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation

Upper divergence above the sea level system

Naming of Cyclone:

It is generally agreed that appending names to cyclones makes it easier for the media to report on these cyclones, heightens interest in warnings, and increases community preparedness.

Names are presumed to be easier to remember than numbers and technical terms. If public wants to suggest the name of a cyclone to be included in the list, the proposed name must meet some fundamental criteria.

The name should be short and readily understood when broadcast. Further, the names must not be culturally sensitive and should not convey any unintended and potentially inflammatory meaning.

Each Tropical Cyclone basin in the world has its own rotating list of names.

For cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, the naming system was agreed by eight member countries of a group called WMO/ESCAP and took effect in 2004.

These countries submitted eight names each.

Source: The Hindu

GST

Topic: Economy

In News:GST Revenue collection for April, 2019 recorded highest collection since GST implementation,.

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Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a comprehensive indirect tax on manufacture, sale, and consumption of goods and services throughout India. GST replaced respective taxes levied by the central and state governments.

It is a destination-based taxation system.It has been established by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act.

It is an indirect tax for the whole country on the lines of “One Nation One Tax” to make India a unified market.

It is a single tax on supply of Goods and Services in its entire product cycle or life cycle i.e. from manufacturer to the consumer.

It is calculated only in the “Value addition” at any stage of a goods or services.

The final consumer will pay only his part of the tax and not the entire supply chain which was the case earlier.

There is a provision of GST Council to decide upon any matter related to GST whose chairman in the finance minister of India.